There are several ways of lowering soil pH. The problem is, what is the starting pH, and what is pH after an application? Soil testing labs use pH meters, but these cost between 50 and 500 dollars, and they must be calibrated with standard solutions before use. The best way I have found for measuring soil pH is indicator dye. A 2 dollar bottle of indicator dye solutions might do 100 tests. Since cranberries grow best with soil pH between 4.2 and 5.5, the appropriate indicator dye would be bromocresol-green, which turns yellow at pH=3.8, and blue at pH=5.4. How much sulfur to use depends on where you are starting from. If you have tap water from municipal water supply, there should be an annual water quality report available, and this will give the water pH. If there is limestone in your area, your native soil might have a starting pH over 7.

Where in the world you are can be of tremendous assistance to some of us, although my soil is sand while my sisters soil (6 miles west of me) is clay. Usually sand atop a clay base indicates that someone dumped some sand there in an attempt to have a soil kind of easier to cultivate then the clay would be. The clay, under that sand, will keep that sand from draining properly, two different soil types with vastly different drainage capabilities. I would talk with the people at your local office of your state universities Cooperative Extension Service to find out what your soil type shoulld be.

The when is NOW! Perfect time, because as mentioned above, the heat will help compost down. I did sunn hemp last summer and doing it again this summer as my research found it to be the best at adding nitrogen, repelling nemotodes, and amending my sand (no soil here!). I'm sure that horse manure is great, but I don't have the means to transport that. So, last year, my first year of creating soil, I did a lot of leaves and alfalfa. I was pleased with the results. I have lots of compost and leaves this year, so skipping the expense of alfalfa (although I chose it because it was the cheapest). I'm still doing the sunn hemp. Becca

I use bermuda grass and then whatever is growing in the pastures...which is virtually everything. I wouldn't use bermuda grass if it had formed seedheads. That batch would go into the compost pile so the heat of composting could sterilize the seeds. To prevent anything in the grass clippings OR the soil from sprouting and growing up through the mulch, lay down newspaper or cardboard and then pile on the mulch. If there is any wind, wet down the cardboard or newspaper as you lay it down so it won't blow away before you pile on the mulch. The newspaper or cardboard serves as a barrier. Weed seed beneath it cannot sprout because of the darkness and if it sprouts, it generally cannot penetrate the paper or cardboard. Weed seed on top of the cardboard or paper may sprout, but any plants that sprout in the mulch can't grow down through it and it is easy to pull them out of the mulch when you notice they've sprouted. As a bonus, earthworms adore newspaper and cardboard so having them on the ground attracts them to your soil and since they improve the soil, that's a plus. A couple of tips: 1) Never use any grass clippings from lawn treated with herbicides, including weed and feed fertilizers; 2) If the grass is holding a lot of moisture after it is cut, I leave it in the garden cart or wagon for a day or two and let it dry and then I spread them on the beds; 3) If you have cut tallish bermuda in humid, hot conditions (especially in late spring/early summer) and think chiggers might be lurking in there, spray yourself with an insect repellent before you spread the grass clippings. Then, after you're done, scrub yourself thoroughly to remove any that may be climbing around on you. I have chigger issues about once a year after spreading grass clippings DH has cut and it usually happens in late May or early June. 4) Be very picky about your grass clippings. If neighbors see and understand what you're doing and offer you theirs, make sure their lawns haven't been chemically-treated. 5) If you have an issue with snails, slugs, pill bugs or sow bugs be sure you leave a little open space (at least 1/4") between the mulch and plant stems so you can spot those little buggies and sluggies and kill them dead. (I just sprinkle Slug-Go Plus in that little open area so they can find something to eat. It is just a bonus that the 'something' they find to eat kills them.) Dawn